The Wild Card of Divergence
by Fool of the World
Summary: After defeating Sasuke but succumbing to his wounds, Naruto is given a second chance at life in Inaba by Philemon and Igor. The catch? He has to solve the mystery behind the fog. However, due to Naruto's existence in this universe, the killer, victims, and even Investigation Team is different. Will Naruto become the world's hope or will the world fall into fog's despair? NaruHarem.


**This is an idea that came to me recently and I just had to give it a whirl since there aren't that many Persona/Naruto crossovers.**

**The twist in this story is that Naruto's presence changes the killer, victims, and even the Investigation Team itself (minus Teddie, who stays the same.) All I can say so far is that the Investigation Team will include Naruto, Kou, Yumi, Ai, and Teddie. The other three, however, will stay a secret for now.**

**Much like the game, there will be a harem. Yumi, Ai, and Marie will definitely be a part of it, and two others will too but I want to keep them secret.**

**There also may or may not be an Arena arc but it'll be definitely different than the canon Arena, that's for sure.**

**Let's get started, shall we?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own neither Naruto nor the Persona franchise.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: <strong>Aria of the Soul

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><p>They had defeated Madara. They had defeated Kaguya. And then, Naruto had defeated Sasuke. However, due to their injuries, both boys succumbed to death.<p>

That was the end of Naruto's story, or so he thought.

He opened his eyes to not be greeted with death, but to find himself inside a limousine. Staring back at him was a fancy-dressed hunchback with bulging eyes, and a golden eyed and flaxen haired maiden with a book in her hands.

"Welcome to the Velvet Room," the hunchback spoke in a calm, almost sing-song voice.

The Shinobi looked around the strange limousine. Coming from the Age of the Ninja, this technology was incredibly foreign to him.

"...This ain't how I pictured death," the blonde teen spoke, bluntly.

"That is because you are not dead," the woman with the book replied, "Or rather, not dead anymore."

"Anymore?" Naruto repeated, "Wait. Is this reincarnation?"

The hunchbacked man with the ginormous nose chuckled, "Past Wild Cards believed that to be true. However, these cases were very few. Not many of them were killed before arriving here."

"What the hell's a Wild Card?" The Shinobi's features scrunched up, "You gotta explain a lot better than this. I don't even know where the hell I am."

"Then let me welcome you again," the man cleared his throat, "Welcome to the Velvet Room, a place between mind and matter. My name is Igor, and this here is my assistant, Margaret."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Naruto Uzumaki," the woman named Margaret replied in an almost monotone voice.

"Uh, and you know my name how?" Naruto arched a brow before adding, "You sure this isn't death?"

"Normally, we do not know the names of our Wild Cards until they give it to us," Igor elaborated, "However, you are a special exception."

"Look, phallic nose," the teen deadpanned, "I have no idea what the hell you're even talking about."

"Then allow me to explain," a new voice spoke.

A brilliant light shined in between the two parties. Stepping out of the light was a man wearing a mask. His voice was calm yet authoritative, and Naruto wasn't sure why, but it gave him this feeling of being at ease.

"Master Philemon," Igor uttered, giving a bow to the true master of the Velvet Room.

"So this is the Wild Card of Divergence," Philemon mused, before addressing some of the ninja's questions, "Wild Cards are the hope of our universe, just like you were the hope of your own."

Were. That word solidified the truth. He had died. He wasn't even given the chance to utter those words when Philemon gave a nod, confirming his thoughts.

"There are many Wild Cards in this universe," Philemon continued, "One of them being the Wild Card of Salvation. Another being the Wild Card of Truth. Of course, in this timeline of this universe, you will be theoretically taking the Wild Card of Truth's place."

"So, wait," Naruto stopped the man, "You're giving me a second chance at life? What's the catch, anyway? Because this is way too fishy."

"Clever observation," Philemon gave a warm laugh, "As the Wild Card of Divergence, you must solve the mystery of a small rural town in this timeline. A mystery similar to the one of the Wild Card of Truth's, yet greatly different at the same time."

Naruto to gave a low hum. He finally said, "Well that sounds easy-"

"But you must also fight the evil force that is making this mystery a mystery of the supernatural."

"I should have known," the ninja deadpanned, before brightening and saying, "Well, with the power of-"

"I know quite well of your powers," Philemon continued, "However. You will not be able to tap into the Kyuubi's chakra, nor communicate with it. The reason why will be revealed soon enough. On top of that, you must not reveal your own chakra to anyone except for your allies, also to be revealed soon enough."

Naruto deadpanned again, "Of fucking course. So. How the hell am I gonna handle this if I'm on my own for this one? I mean I'm pretty good at taijutsu but still."

"That is where we come in," Igor chuckled.

"That is correct," Margaret chimed in, "My master and I are here to accompany you on your journey."

"Well," Igor corrected, "Accompany you from afar."

Before Naruto could say anything, Philemon spoke again, "You are to live in this town, Inaba, for one year. Do not worry about the accommodations. We have been waiting for your death and through another Wild Card, the Wild Card of Steel, we have relayed the message to an ally of good who has pulled some strings for you."

"Waited for my death, huh?" Naruto asked, rubbing the back of his neck, "So. No way of getting back to my old life, I take it?"

"Well, there are two options," the masked man explained, "One is to agree and begin your quest to save this timeline from the looming darkness. Then you can make the choice to return or not. The other is to return to your state of death and hope that reincarnation exists in your universe. It is your call."

The Shinobi scoffed, but gave a grin nevertheless, "Sure are puttin' a gun to my head, huh? Alright, I'll bite. I'll tackle this mystery head on."

Philemon nodded, "Excellent."

"Then we shall let you on your way," Igor chuckled, giving a dramatic hand motion, "Until we meet again, Naruto Uzumaki."

Light engulfed the Shinobi as he was teleported out of the Velvet Room, taken to the town of Inaba. Once he had disappeared, Margaret turned to Philemon and asked the million dollar question:

"Do you believe he will save this timeline?"

Philemon chuckled, "Minato saved the world. Yu saved the world. Aigis did too, as well as many non-Wild Cards. Give our hero a chance."

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><p><strong>Monday, April 11, 2011<strong>

**Afternoon**

**Weather: Cloudy**

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><p>The vision of the Velvet Room faded away, only to be replaced by the vision of a worn down apartment building; or rather an extension of a building that called itself the Shiroku Store. He didn't expect Philemon's transfer to be so quick, but alas, here he was in what he assumed was the town of Inaba, and no one seemed to notice that a person had almost spontaneously appeared in the shopping district.<p>

"Boy, this place is the sticks..." Naruto muttered as he looked around. The town was the epitome of rural, but he guessed it had a certain charm. The "apartment building," however? Not so much. It was just a store with a crudely tacked on sign that said, "And Apartments." Even "better" was the fact that it even had an almost crumpled piece of paper attached to the door that said, "Now accepting tenants."

Reluctantly, Naruto stepped forward and opened the door to the store, only to be greeted by a quaint small town shop with a jovial looking old lady sitting inside.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, "A customer? Welcome to Shiroku Store! ...Huh. I haven't seen you around these parts before."

"Uh, I'm new around here," Naruto gave a nod, "I was hoping to get a room-"

"Oh, you must be Naruto Uzumaki," the old lady mused with a quaint smile, "My name is Ms. Shiroku, but around these parts I'm known as Old Lady Shiroku. Your friend Kurosawa is upstairs in your room, waiting for you. Do you not have any luggage, my boy?"

He didn't have a friend named Kurosawa, that was for sure. Was this the friend in high places that Philemon talked about? He shook his head before replying with, "I don't. Uh, actually, I don't have any money either-"

"Oh, that is quite alright," Shiroku replied with a laugh, "Your friend deposited enough money for a month's stay. You should thank him."

Naruto widened his eyes in awe. Whoever this Kurosawa guy was, he sure was a stand up guy. "Oh, I'll do just that, Granny Shiroku!"

"Granny Shiroku?" the lady gave out a low hum, "That is a new one. Oh, no matter! I just hope you get a job around here by the time the next pay period comes in May. Do you think you can do this for a sweet little old lady like me?"

He nodded, "Yeah. I think I can manage that."

"Good," the woman smiled, "Now hurry on up to your room. Your friend has your key and he seemed to be in a rush, after all. It'll be the first door on the right after you go upstairs."

"Alright," Naruto agreed, heading up the rickety stairs, "Thanks again, Granny Shiroku!"

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><p>Upon reaching the second floor, Naruto almost automatically ran into someone. He almost stumbled back down the stairs, but caught himself just in time.<p>

"Watch where you're going!" the person he ran into scolded.

A girl sat on the floor across from Naruto. Her skin was pale and she had chin-length brown hair and bright green eyes. She was dressed rather fashionably, with a sleeveless white shirt sporting a black tie, a plaid skirt, and a black and white striped socks under black boots. She protected a blue bag, pursed her pink lips, and shot Naruto a glare with her green eyes.

"Geez, sorry," Naruto mumbled as he regained his composure. He reached his hand out to her, which she looked at it and then back to him.

"What?"

"I'm helping you up," he spoke bluntly.

She gave a scoff, and turned away from him in slight embarrassment, but took his hand and stood up regardless, muttering, "Whatever."

"So, you live here too?" he asked, trying to start a conversation.

She sharply exhaled, blowing a strand of hair out of her face, "Yeah. Moved in yesterday."

_She definitely is friendly, _he thought to himself before extending his hand. "Name's Naruto, neighbor. Naruto Uzumaki."

She stared at his hand before tentatively shaking it, "Marie."

As they released each other's hands, an awkward silence fell over both of them. Naruto turned and was about to head to his room when Marie spoke up.

"Hey," she said, crossing her arms, "You're dressed up like you're from eons ago. Why?"

He looked down at his clothes and then over at Marie's. They certainly were dressed quite differently, but that was most likely because this was two different time periods. He turned and rubbed the back of his neck, saying, "So?"

"Just wondering," she turned away from him with a frown. With that, instead of going downstairs like she planned, she entered her room and shut the door behind her.

"Talk about friendly," the out-of-time ninja muttered, as he turned towards his own door. Taking the knob and turning it, he opened the door to see a man sitting at the old, quaint table in his apartment. He had slicked back salt-and-pepper hair and was adorning a suit.

"Ah," he spoke, standing up, "You're here. I'm Detective Kurosawa. You must be the one Ms. Kirijo wanted me to prepare a room for. Don't worry. All I know is that you have business here, and that's all I wish to know."

Naruto nodded and grinned, "Thanks. And uh, thanks for paying my first payment."

"That was also a gift from the Kirijo Group," Kurosawa explained, "Hopefully one day you'll get the chance to meet Ms. Kirijo for yourself and thank her then. But first, there's some things we should attend to before you get too settled in. First..."

He grabbed a remote and turned on the television in the room, causing Naruto to jump. As the television began to play, Naruto asked, "Okay, what the hell is that?"

"Huh," Kurosawa mused with a smirk, "So it is true. You must have been sheltered your entire life."

"...Something like that," Naruto replied. He wasn't sure how much Kurosawa knew or didn't know about his life, but he at least knew that he wasn't aware that he was from a different universe and time period.

"Then I'll give you some hints on surviving here before I leave," Kurosawa nodded, mostly to himself.

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><p><strong>Monday, April 11, 2011<strong>

**Evening.**

**Weather: Rainy.**

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><p>After hearing Kurosawa explain the modern implements in his room and recommending the boy to buy some more "fitting" clothes with some extra money the Kirijo Group had provided, Kurosawa left as Naruto walked the shopping district to buy clothes. Unfortunately, after buying the clothes it had started to rain. Running to take shelter so his new clothes wouldn't get wet, he stopped at a nearby gas station to take shelter.<p>

"Oh?" a worker at the gas station with greyed hair asked, "I haven't seen you around these parts."

"Yeah, I'm new here," Naruto turned back to the gas station attendant.

"Really?" she asked, "That's odd. You weren't the only one to move into town today. I believe someone around your age named Yu Narukami moved here too."

Naruto just nodded, as he turned back towards the rain. He wasn't much for making small talk right now, mostly because of all of the things Philemon and Kurosawa had told him. It was exhausting, and he really wanted to return to his makeshift room as soon as possible.

"Are you living here with family?" the gas station attendant inquired, curiously.

He shook his head, "Nah. Living here by myself."

"All by yourself?" she repeated, "Did you accept a job here or something? You only seem to be about sixteen years old."

He shook his head again, but said nothing.

"Would you like a job here, then?" she asked with a warm smile, "We've been looking for new employees for quite a while. I'm pretty sure you'll get the job almost instantly."

"Really?" he inquired, raising his eyebrows and turning towards the gas station attendant, "How good's the pay?"

"A little over minimum wage," she explained with a nod, "Sure, they make you run errands because we're not the biggest town, but it's pretty worth it."

_Sounds a lot like back home, _he thought, smirking. He then nodded at her and said, "Sure. When can I come in?"

"I'll schedule you an interview and call you soon," she asked, "Mind if I have your number?"

He wasn't quite sure what to make of that, but he believed it had to do with the strange device the Kirijo Group had gotten for him and that Kurosawa had explained to him. Tentatively, he took out the cell phone and swapped numbers with the attendant.

"Perfect," she chuckled, extending her hand, "Well, then. I hope to see you soon."

"Right back at 'ya," he replied, extending his hand and shaking hers. He then turned and saw that the rain had stopped, "Alright, then. I'm off!"

As he ran off, she gave a wave, before quietly musing, "Most curious, indeed."

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><p>When he returned to his room,Naruto was glad he had stopped at a place called Marukyu Tofu and picked up some tofu-flavored ramen. Especially siince he had been feeling a tad queasy since he had rested at the gas station. Deciding to turn in for the night, he finished his ramen, slipped into his pajamas and went to bed.<p>

His mind replayed the events of the day. He remembered Kurosawa saying that he had started school tomorrow. Honestly, Naruto thought he wouldn't ever have to go back to school since his graduation at the ninja academy at age twelve. He then thought about what Philemon said. He would have no help from the Kyuubi, the other tailed beasts, or probably even Gamabunta or the other toads this time. At the very least, he still had his wind-based chakra.

He furrowed his brow as he heard what sounded like bar music from below and chatting, as well. It was annoying, to say the least. Nevertheless, he finally drifted off to sleep and began to dream.

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><p>In his dream, he found himself in a fog covered road. He stood up and looked around. This wasn't the rundown bedroom that Old Lady Shiroku had rented out to him. No, this seemed to be outside, or something similar to it. He looked behind him and saw a thick wall behind him. He frowned. The only way to go was forward.<p>

He walked forward, the road seeming to stretch on infinitely. It was then that he heard a voice.

"You weren't the one I expected to find here," the androgynous voice called out, in a seemingly annoyed manner.

"Who's there?!" Naruto shouted, with a fierce glare. No response. A little more wary, he walked forward again, before hearing the voice once more.

"Nevertheless," the voice came from up ahead, "if you wish to change the truth... This makes us enemies."

That's when it hit him. This had to be the dark force that Philemon mentioned. Crouching momentarily, he broke out into a sprint, heading forward. The never ending stretch of road, or at least what he _thought _was never ending, came to a stop in front of a strange red and black door. Naruto put his hand on the door and drew it back when it suddenly opened. More fog spread in from the door, as a malevolent chuckle came from the other side. Taking a step forward, he entered the new area.

"So, you're the one Philemon sent to protect this timeline," the voice mused, "How unfortunate that I will not be facing with my love anytime soon."

Their love? He watched as the shadowy figure in front of him, seemed to be created of black ink or something similar, opened its arms towards him.

"But no more talk," the figure continued, "If you wish to destroy me, here is your chance."

Was this really a dream? Naruto was unsure. Regardless, he would give this figure the fight of its life. Quickly pulling off hand seals, he shouted, "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" He multiplied, creating three other Shadow Clones. Two of them rushed forward, fists ready to meet the creature's face. However, with a wave of the figure's hands, a dark wave of energy slammed into the shadow clones, destroying them instantly.

Naruto grit his teeth, leaving his last Shadow Clone and rushing forward, aiming a kick towards the being's face. To his amusement, it scored a direct hit. However, this didn't deter the creature, who just waved its hand once more and sent Naruto flying backwards.

"Is this all that you have?" the figure asked, "I'm disappointed."

Standing back up, Naruto called out, "Then try this on for size!" The remaining Shadow Clone helped give chakra and hand seals to Naruto, as a wide, wind-based shuriken appeared in his hands.

"Wind Release: Rasenshuriken!"

Nimbly, he tossed the shuriken, landing a direct hit on his foe and slamming it into the wall behind it. It gave an otherworldly grunt before aiming its sights on Naruto once more.

"How... fascinating," the figure coughed, "You're stronger than you look. No matter. Bewildering Fog!"

Suddenly, with a raise of the figure's hand, a blast of fog rushed through the area. To Naruto's misfortune, the fog felt poisonous, as he could no longer breathe. No. This was something much more dangerous than just poison.

"We shall meet again," the figure spoke, "But next time, you shall not win like you did this time." This is what the figure believed a win was? Suddenly, Naruto awoke from his dream.

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><p><strong>Tuesday, April 12, 2011.<strong>

**Morning.**

**Weather: Rainy.**

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><p>Naruto looked in the mirror, at his new set of clothes. He wore an orange, sleeveless shirt and black jeans. A black wristband covered his right arm. Another thing he noticed was that his whiskers was a little faint. They were still there, just not as prominent.<p>

He thought over his dream last night. It seemed a lot more real than he was willing to admit. That had to have been the mastermind behind this mystery. But then, he realized, he didn't even know what the mystery even was. Philemon, Igor, and Margaret were as vague as they possibly could have been. But that didn't surprise him much. He was used to people being incredibly vague in their actions.

He opened the door and made his way out of his "apartment" when he came face to face with Marie. Fortunately, they didn't collide head to head this time.

"Uh, why are you outside of my door?" the blonde asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I live here too, you know," she crossed her arms, "No reason whatsoever." He noticed that she was holding an umbrella in her arms.

"I thought it was raising this mornin'," he muttered, "Man, I should have bought an umbrella yesterday."

She fidgeted for a moment, before saying, "Hey."

"Huh?"

"You can stand under mine if you want," she briskly replied, "I'm heading out anyway."

"Hm... Thanks, Marie-chan!" Naruto exclaimed with a grin.

She turned away, "Don't thank me. We're neighbors. That's the neighborly thing to do, right? Although, I haven't had neighbors before, so I'm not too sure..."

"You never had neighbors before?" he repeated, bewildered, "Where the hell'd you live?"

"I don't remember," was her only reply. Of course, this did nothing but bewilder Naruto even further.

"Forget I said anything," she briskly ordered, before asking, "Are you coming or not?"

He nodded, "Yeah. Comin'."

As he slipped beside her, the two walked down the stairs to see Old Lady Shiroku tending the shop as per usual. In the shop was a young woman in a red sweater. After buying what she wanted, she gave Naruto and Marie a glance and left, thanking the old lady as she did so.

Shiroku turned to face her two tenants and smiled, "Oh? Getting along well already?"

"He doesn't have an umbrella, that's all," Marie explained, before turning to Naruto, "You should fix that before tomorrow, because I prefer to stay in my room, to be honest."

"A shut-in?" he teased with a grin. She didn't reply, but simply rolled her eyes.

"Be careful you two," the old lady called out, as the two walked towards the door.

"Wait, why, Granny Shiroku?" Naruto called back.

Marie blinked for a moment before asking, "_Granny_ Shiroku?"

"You didn't hear the police sirens?" Old Lady Shiroku replied to Naruto, "I've heard there has been an incident around these parts."

The two nodded at Old Lady Shiroku's warning and walked outside. An incident. Would this be the incident that sparks the mystery? For some reason, Naruto felt that to be the truth.

"You better keep up or you'll get wet," Marie warned, putting her free hand on her hip.

Naruto rolled his eyes and said, "Comin', comin'."

Thus, his new life in Inaba had officially begun.

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><p><strong>And there's the first chapter. What did you think? Let me know!<strong>

**~Fool of the World**


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